Creative Zen Micro 5 GB MP3 Player Pink by Creative
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Digital camera reviews of Creative Zen Micro 5 GB MP3 Player Pink
Digital camera Review: Review from a mp3 player Virgin
Summary: 5 Stars
That's right...the Zen Micro is the very 1st mp3 player I've owned. I'm a CD kind of girl, with probably 200+ CD's in my collection. (Since I buy a lot of used CD's, I can usually buy anywhere from 2-3 CD's for the price of a new one.) I have about 500+ mp3s, but these are usually just for listening to at work or home. It wasn't until my co-worker bought himself an iPod that I began to consider getting one myself.
I had a few requirements for my mp3 player:
1. It had to be small, compact & lightweight for exercise.
2. I wanted an FM radio.
3. I wanted to be able to change the battery myself.
4. It needed at least 4+ GB storage capacity.
5. It had to be easy to use.
6. I didn't want to get sucked into the world of Apple, where I'm sort of forced to deal with iTunes & weird Apple file formats that only work in Apple hardware & software.
I researched everything out on the market. I wanted something dependable, with a good reputation, and good support. This was a major purchase for me. With 2 kids, car payments & a mortgage, spending $200 on my own personal enjoyment is a HUGE deal.
I came to like what I was hearing about the Zen Micro. Since Creative is trying to compete with Apple, their product seemed to have everything the iPod was lacking. It is also PC friendly, catering to the Windows world for us non-Mac users. Since I use Outlook for my job, I liked that I can sync my Zen with my calendar, tasks, & contacts.
The Zen is shorter than the iPod, although slightly thicker. (It's slightly smaller than a regular size Altoids mint tin.) Even though the iPod has a sleek, modern look, the Zen has it's own unique look with the blue backlight trim. It has a radio with 32 presets and a recorder for voice & radio capture. The recorder is a handy feature since I'm a writer in my spare time & often get inspiration & ideas faster than I can write them down.
What really sold me on the Zen was that I could change the battery myself. iPod's internal battery makes it so that in a year or two, I'll have to ship it to Apple & pay them a fee to get a simple battery changed. That idea completely turned me off. I just turned 30 yrs old! I've been changing batteries in things for probably 20-25 of those years. It's patronizing that Apple feels only THEY should change your iPod's battery in order to get you to pay more $$$$ for a product you already own. I've also heard bad stories about this process, such as getting your iPod back with all your stored music gone.
So far, I'm loving my Zen. In the course of a weekend, I was able to upload 431 songs, (roughly 36 CD's). Ripped at 128kb files, I still have over 3 GB of space available.
I haven't had to read the manual at all. (I read the little 5 page booklet in the box, but haven't had to brave the 65 page User's Manual.) While my Zen charged (in just under 3 hours), I installed the software with ease. I was able to program my Zen & start ripping & transfering music onto it with zero instruction. The radio works great. The reception is decent, although sometimes I do get some static for stations that I get just fine in my car.
Things I was happy about:
~ The sound quality is far better than I expected!
~ I've had no real problems with my pink Zen Micro. It worked great straight out of the box.
~ It looks pretty cool, better than I thought it looked in pics. While it has a kind of "plastic" look, compared to the iPod's sleek, metallic look, the Zen is still pretty cool looking. The glowing blue trim lights that pulse off & on when charging give it a sort of alien strobe light effect. But I noticed my Zen gets a lot of comments & catches people's eye. Everyone & their grandma has an iPod, which makes the Zen more of a conversation piece because people are curious about it. *Everyone* at my office, even my boss, wanted to try my Zen out. (That didn't happen when my co-worker brought his new iPod to work the 1st time.)
~ I can make my own unique "case" for my ZM out of an Altoids mint tin. I plan on painting mine & decorating with some cool decals. I'm an artist, so making a personalized case no one else in the world has really appeals to me. (Google "Zen Micro Altoids case" or go to the head-fi.org forum for some cool pics & instructions.)
Issues I've had w/ the Zen Micro:
~ No internal FM Transmitter to broadcast your mp3's onto your car/home stereo! I thought this feature was included in the standard player, like the iPod. An annoying detail that miffed me a little.
~ The Earbuds are terrible!! The earbuds are so "bulbous" & large that they don't fit into my ears at all. They made my ears sore the 1st day from constantly trying to stuff them back in. It's all too obvious that I'll have to buy replacements. If they won't stay in when I'm sitting at my desk, they definitely won't stay in when walking, jogging, or riding my bike.
~ The battery drains, even when player is switched OFF!!! This is a well known & documented problem in the Zen Micro. The Date/Time, sleep/alarm funtions, etc cause the battery to run constantly. See, the ZM doesn't turn OFF...it's literally always in "Stand By" mode, which causes the battery to run even when it's not in use. There are several ways to help this though. Use timer/alarm functions sparingly. Using the player conservatively helps the battery life. (i.e. playing at full blast, skipping around constantly, not lowering the LCD lights to minimum setting, etc will run battery down quicker.) However, the best method is to fully charge the battery, then simply take it out of the player overnight. This actually turns the player OFF & keeps your battery from draining overnight. I also plan on updating my firmware regularly (in case they someday patch this problem with software) & buy a 2nd battery to rotate my player with. (It seems to help to fully charge the battery before 1st use, then play it until it fully drains. Do this a few times, fully charging then fully depleting the battery. Once the battery is "primed" this way a few times, it seems to keep a better charge for longer.)
All in all, I gave it 5 stars, despite the 3 issues I had. These issues are all things that can be worked around. The iPod has it's own battery issues, however with the Zen, I can at least replace my own battery without having to ship my player off for several weeks. To me, that alone is worth the 5th star.
I would recommend this product to a friend. And I would buy another Creative Zen product again in the future. Actually, I'm thinking of getting my hubby his own Zen Micro so he'll stop stealing mine.
Note: I do not work for Creative, Apple, or Amazon in any way. I'm just a regular customer who is enjoying her 30th b-day present very much. Hope this is helpful to someone else.
****Update**** 10/18/05
I've owned my Zen for over a month now & it's still working great. A software upgrade from Creative's website fixed the battery drain problem. I only have to recharge it once a week, sometimes once every OTHER week. I have 560 songs on it with just under 3GB of space left. I keep in an Altoids mint tin, which is nice cause it's protected from getting damaged when I throw it into my purse. I love it & have had zero problems.
Digital camera Review: So Much Better Than The iPod Gimmic!!
Summary: 5 Stars
TRUST ME AND BUY THE ZEN MICRO OVER THE IPOD.IT IS SO MUCH MORE WORTH YOU'RE MONEYDigital camera Review: The best MP3 Player out there!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
This product is amazing!!! I got it 3 days ago and I am in love with it. Before buying it I had had a lot of worries about the Zen Micro because it wasn't as well known as an IPOD and I wasn't sure if it would work very well, but it works great!
It's easy to use, the sound is great, downloading songs is fast and once you know how to do ti, it is very simple, it not only stores 2,500 songs but it has radio with great reception as well, and it is really cute and stylish.
I would recommend this player strongly especially if you are deciding between an IPOD and a Zen Micro because it works just as well and I like it and almost everyone I have shown it to likes it MUCH more. It's smaller and lighter than an IPOD and I think it looks much cuter.
I have had no problems with it at all and can't even find the smallest complaint.
You should buy it!!!
Digital camera Review: Tiny Like a Baby!!
Summary: 5 Stars
i loooooveed this product. Many of my friends got it because they thought that the iPod Mini's wern't that great. And they are so happy that they waited because soon after, the Zen Micro came out! They are so tiny, that they are perfect to bring along with you when you travel. They are actually smaller than the iPod Mini.
If you are deciding between the Zen Micro and the iPod Mini, consider these facts first:
1) the Zen is about $10-$20 cheaper than the iPod Mini
2) the Zen is smaller and more convenient than the iPod Mini
3) the Zen can hold 1,500 MORE songs than the iPod Mini for less money
4) the Zen comes in many more colors than the iPod Mini
5) the Zen has an FM Radio
6) the Zen has a voice recorder
7) the Zen has twice as much battery life than the iPod Mini
considering these facts, what reason could you possibly have for buying a measily iPod Mini? that's a rip-off..
GET THE ZEN MICRO!! IT'S THE NEXT BIG THING - AND WAY BETTER FOR YOUR MONEY.
Digital camera Review: Very Nice Product-ZEN
Summary: 5 Stars
Bought this item for my 16 year old daughter. She loves it and all the functions it has. Stores all her music. Her friends with I Pods want to switch to the ZEN,